Variable-speed transmitter.



1. REEC E. VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMITTER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.20. 1914.

Patented May 2, 1916. 3 SHEETS-SHEETI 17*01/627156072' J a F J. REECE.

VARIABLE S'PEED TRANSMITTER. APPLICATION FILED 11111.20, 1914.

Patented May 2, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ZbQfEwegeea 177171877207:

Q E) WAG/1011f J (Rm, 11 1/111 J. REECE.

VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMITTER.

APPLICATION men JAN-20, 1914.

6 m w 2 m M n w m e m 3 6 w m x L 7 4 a W e 6 4 6 1 6 1 41 e 8 w w l 1 w 07 Jb'fim Ram,

' JOHN nnncn, or maivcnnsrnn, MASSACHUSETTS.

VARIABLE-SPEED TRANSMITTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented may 2, 1916.

Application filed January 20, 1914. Serial No. 813,177.

anism for transmitting the motion of a ro-.

tary driving shaft to a rotary driven shaft with provision for varying the speed ratio. The two shafts may, for example, be respectively connected to the engine and to the Wheels of a motor vehicle, the mechanism hereof permitting the speed of the vehicle to be controlled. f

Generally the object hereof is to afford an improved and simplified variable speed transmitter mechanism possessing good eificiency of transmission, easily adjustable for varying speed ratio,-capable of giving any desired ratio between the extreme limits, capable of reversing the driven shaft and free from the structural weaknesses and other objections of heretofore known mechanisms.

To the attainment of this and other objects, the present improvement consists in the novel combinations, mechanisms, de vices, arrangements and details hereinafter referred to or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

First will be described an illustrative mechanism in which the present improvement may be embodied and thereafter the novel features will be set forth in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, Figure 1 may be considered an end elevation of a variable speed transmission mechanism embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a right elevation of the parts shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical section upon the plane 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the plane 5 5 of Fig. 2; Figs. 6 to 11 show the details of the reversing mechanism, Fig. (3 being a vertical central section of the parts at the right hand of Fig. 3; while Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are cross sections taken respectively on the planes 77, 8-8. 99 and 10-l0 of Fig. 6. Fig.

- present invention.

11 shows a structural detail of parts seen in Figs. 6 and 9.

The same reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings. I

The combination illustrated in the drawings includes, besides the two shafts, one of them being a crank shaft, connections between the shafts of such nature that by adjustment the motion of one shaft may be communicated at various speeds to the other. Specifically there is an intermediate swinging member reciprocated from the crank shaft andconnected to the driven shaft and itself adjustable; for example, in position, so as to Secure the desired speed adjustment. By thus confining the adjustment to an intermediate part it is unnecessary to interrupt the continuity or weaken the strength of either shaft. A motion reversing means for the driven shaft isshown wholly unassociated with the connections between the two shafts so that the. driving and reversing I functions are-segregated.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the frame or base 20 is provided with suitable journals for the crank Shaft 21 which preferably constitutes the driving shaft of the The driving shaft'21 has the crank 22 of usual or suitable type, and may have other cranks as many as desired, preferably relatively angularly Spaced so as to operate alternately in propelling the driven parts. Extending from each crank 22 is a connecting rod 23.

The driven shaft 25 is shown mounted parallel to the driving shaft corresponding to each of the cranks 22. The driven shaft may have a disk 26. adapted to be intermitt'ently advanced by a reciprocating gripper 27. For convenience of illustration the disk 26 is shown as a toothed or ratchet wheel and the gripper 27 as a pawl adapted to engage-the teeth at each forward stroke and thereby impel the driven shaft. In order that the pawl may reciprocate concentrically, it is mounted at the extremity of an arm or carrier 28 which is loosely fitted to the driven shaft. If, now, the connecting rod 23 were jointed directly at its two ends to the driving crank 22 and the gripper carrier 28, a certain driving action would be obtained but the speed ratio would not be adjustable unless some expedient complicating and perhaps weakening the driving intermediate device.

be variously effected accordlng to this 1mcrank shaft were introduced. Such a construction would be contrary to the present improvement.

According to the present improvement a device is introduced between the connecting rod 23 and the gripper carrier 28 for communicating motion; and the speed ratio ad justment is effected by adjustment of this Such adjustment may provement, thus the intermediate device might have an adjustable connection with the connecting rod 23 or with the carrier 28, or it might be itself adjustable As an. illustration of such a device, there is shown a combination of two parts 30 and 31' and these arerelatively-movable and capable of relative adjustment for. the purposes referred to; for example, by constituting the part 31 a swinging member with adjustable pivot 32 and the part 30 a mere connecting link between the carrier 28 and member 31. Specifically, therefore, wehave a combination withthe driving crank and the gripper carrier of a connecting link from each, and a member 31 between them to which both links are pivoted. I

Assuming, now, the pivot of the swinging member 31 to be fixed in position, the driving crank 22 through connecting rod 23 reciprocates the member 31 and that, in turn,

. acting throughthe link 30, reciprocates the pivot 32 to the pivotal point 34 of link 30' and when the proportions are designed, as

shown, the entire member 31 may be con stituted of a single segment, as shown, having adjacent pivotal connections to the rod and link.

Various modes of adjustment of the member 31 might effect adjustments of speed ratio, for example, if the length of the effective arms 3233 and 323l were altered the throw of the carrier, and therefore the speed of the drivenshaft, would be altered. Or the distance between pivots 33 and 34 might be adjusted. Herein the adjustment is shown as effected byshifting the position of the pivot 32 under proper control. To this end the pivot 32 is mounted on a block or slide 35 which is so arranged that on adjustment it may swing the effective arm 323l toward or from the link 30. For adjusting the block 35.it may be provided with a rack or teeth engaging a pinion rotated by adjusting lever 36, the handle 37 of which controls a pin which may be dropped into different apertures in an arc plate 38.

The operation is' substantially that in the illustrated adjustment in Fig. 1, the driven shaft will have a given speed whereas by pushing the handle 37 toward the right the block 35 and pivot 32 are thereby adjusted to the right gradually reducing the speed until eventually the pivot 32 is brought into alinement with the pivotal connection between the carrier 28 and link 30 at which time obviously the swinging member 31 may reciprocate but without causing any motion of the carrier or pawl, so that the driving action ceases.

In the side elevation (F ig. 3) no attempt is-made to illustrate the cranks, but it will beobserved that the toothed disks 26 are four in number, arranged in pairs, and that the hand lever 36 in adjusting the block 35 for altering the throw of the pawl carriers for the first pairalso rotates a 'rock shaft 39 which extends to the second pair of disks where the adjusting devices are duplicated. Consequently. all of the pawl carriers. are simultaneously adjusted to receive the same .extent of throw, and they, therefore, operateconsecutively in harmony to impel the driven shaft at a speed which is greater or less according to whether the throw is greater'or less.

Fig. 4 shows how each sliding block 35 carries the pivots 32 for both of a pair of adjacent swinging members 31. Fig. 5 shows details of the structure for mounting the block 35. In some cases, and if desired, there may be introduced a yielding element between the driving crank 22 and the driven shaft 25 so that uniform motion of the driven shaft may be harmonized with non-uniform motion of the reciprocating driving parts. for example, the swinging member 31 might be constituted of two relatively movable parts or arms'held strongly in or near their proper normal relative position by a powerful spring.

For securing reversal of motion when that is desired the driven shaft may be formed with aseparate shaft section 50 in alinement with the driven shaft 25 and any type of reversing gear introduced between them,

such, for example, as a sun-and-planet gear as shownin Figs. 1 and 6 to 11. Secured at the end of the shaft 50 is a cylindrical gear case 51 interiorly toothed at 52. Opposed to the teeth 52 are teeth 53 on the shaft 25. Intermediate the gear 53 and the internal gear are the planet gears 54 and they are all mounted on studs secured to a flange 55 of a hub 56 surrounding the shaft 25. Whenever the hub 56 is locked to the shaft 25, the gears 52, 53, 54 are locked and the shaft 50 rotates as though rigid with the shaft 25. When the hub 56 is held, the rotation of shaft 25 causes the reverse rotation of shaft 50. To effect these adjust ments the following mechanism may be employed: Surrounding the squared portion of the hub 56 (see Fig. 8) is a sleeve 57 longitudinally adjustable by means of a yoke 58 (see Fig. 3) engaging between external collars'on the sleeve, the yoke secured to a slide rod 59 moved longitudinally by handle 60. Longitudinal movement of the sleeve either locks hub to the shaft or renders it stationary. In the position shown the sleeve is locked to the shaft by reason of a 'set of four radial projections 61 from the shaft intermeshing with four corresponding inward projections ,62from the sleeve 57, as moreclearly seen in the cross section Fig. 9. As seen in Fig. 6, the sleeve is annularly recessed from its left end nearly to its center and, as seen in Fig. 11, the inward projections 62 extend only for a short distance at driving.

the sleeve 57 be thrown fully to the left, the.

the left extremity ofthe recess. In the present adjustment the projections 61 and 62intermeshing, as in Fig. 9, effectually lock the shaft, sleeve and hub together for direct If, however, the handle 60 and sleeve projections '62 will disengage the shaft projection 61 and will engage with fixed projections 63 formed on a standard 64 seen at the left hand of Fig. 6. When in such adjustment the sleeve and hub are stationary and the sun-and-planet gear causes the reverse drive of shaft 50.

Broadly the illustrated combination includes the crank on the driving shaft, the

reciprocable gripper cooperating with the disk-portion of the driven shaft for intermittently impelling it, and reciprocating device intermediate the crank and the gripper adjustable for altering the gripper action.

In using the term crank, it is intended toequivalent device on a shaft' driven shaft speed. The device between the crank and the gripper includes the swinging member 31 which is. adjustable and which swings about a pivot that is non-re-' ciprocating but adjustably movable so as to shift the swinging member toward and from a position of coincidence with the link 30, so that the gripper action may be decreased or increased.

It will thus be seen that there has been described a variable speed transmitter accomplishing the recited objects and advantages and other advantages will be apparent to those acquainted with the art.

Since many matters of design, arrangement, detail and other features may be in necting rod from said crank to said member,-

a. link from said member to said carrier, said connecting rod and link being both pivoted directly to said member but at separated points, and means for adjusting .the position of the pivot of said member-to vary the action of said gripper on the driven shaft.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

JOHN REECE.

Witnesses:

E. P. BERNHARDT, WM. J. DOLAN. I 

